Container with releasable, in particular peelable, closure element

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a container ( 10 ), especially a tubular pouch, stand-up pouch or can-like container, having a container opening ( 20 ) which is closable by means of a removable, especially peelable, closure element ( 30 ), there being arranged on the closure element ( 30 ) a separating element ( 40 ) which, in the closed state of the container, extends through the container opening ( 20 ) and over an accommodation space ( 60 ) with sealing of the latter, which accommodation space ( 60 ) is separated off from the main volume ( 50 ) of the container ( 10 ).

The invention relates to a container in accordance with the preamble of patent claim 1.

Containers, especially tubular pouches, stand-up pouches or can-like containers, have been known for quite some time. Such containers usually have, for taking out the contents, a container opening which is closable, for example, by means of a removable, especially peelable, closure element.

For can-like containers, the materials that are used are metals, such as aluminium and tinplate, or foils, for example in the form of laminates. The use of the aforementioned metal materials such as aluminium and tinplate is, however, associated with numerous disadvantages, the reasons for which lie, on the one hand, in the raw materials being expensive to produce, in the weight of the finished containers being relatively heavy and also in the empty containers being problematic and bulky when being disposed of and, on the other hand, in high transportation costs both for the relatively heavy container raw materials and also for packagings or parts of packaging prefabricated therefrom.

In contrast, containers of the mentioned kind that are made from a laminate are known. These containers have the disadvantage, however, that they are not suitable for carbonated contents because internal pressure occurring in such containers causes bulging-out of the containers.

The invention is based on the problem of making available a container which is simple and economical to manufacture and suitable for accommodating carbonated drinks and which, in addition, overcomes, in a manner that improves on the prior art, the aforementioned disadvantages regarding suitability for manufacture, transportation and disposal, especially also having regard to the costs involved therein.

The problem is solved by a container, especially a tubular pouch, stand-up pouch or can-like container, having a container opening which is closable by means of a removable, especially peelable, closure element, there being arranged on the closure element a separating element which, in the closed state of the container, extends through the container opening and over an accommodation space with sealing of the latter, which accommodation space is separated off from the main volume of the container.

A characteristic of the invention lies in the fact that in the container according to the invention there is defined an accommodation space separate from the main volume, which accommodation space is, in the closed state of the container, closed off relative to the main volume of the container. The closure of the accommodation space relative to the main volume of the container can be accomplished, for example, by means of a sealing or adhesively bonding connection between the separating element and a connecting portion of a container body wall or lid, which portion surrounds the accommodation space on the inside of the container, adjacent to that space. It is likewise possible in accordance with the invention for there to be a shape-based connection between the separating element and that connecting portion on the inside of the container.

This separating element is, in accordance with the invention, arranged on the closure element and extends, starting from that closure element, through the container opening, which in the closed state of the container is closed by the closure element.

When the container is opened, the closure element, which is, for example, in the form of a closure tab or closure strip and is sealed or adhesively bonded to an outer edge surrounding the container opening, is pulled away, whereupon a pull is exerted on the separating element arranged on the closure element, which separating element seals the accommodation space off from the main volume of the container, and, as a result, the accommodation space is opened.

In the course of this accommodation space opening procedure, the separating element is, by means of a pull starting from or transferred by the closure element, pulled away from a connecting portion on the inside of the container, namely, for example, from a sealing or adhesively bonding surface, or pulled out from a shape-based connection, which connecting portion or connection extends around the entire extent of the accommodation space, on the inside of the container.

The imparting of a pull to the separating element in the context of opening of the container by pulling away the closure element is ensured by means of the fact that the separating element is fixedly attached to the closure element, the separating element according to one embodiment of the invention being so connected to the closure element, especially adhesively bonded or sealed thereto or integrally formed therewith, that, on opening the container by removing the closure element, the separating element remains, with freeing of the accommodation space, on the closure element. This measure advantageously ensures that, on opening the container by removing the closure element, the separating element is reliably pulled away from the sealing or adhesive bonding seam surrounding the accommodation space and the separating element is removed from the container so that the accommodation space is freed.

On the other hand, this arrangement ensures, in practical manner, that the separating element remains on the closure element so that, if the closure element is held captive attached to the container, there is no necessity for separate parts to be disposed of.

Advantageously, the separating element is in the form of a peelable, preferably flexible, doubled-over tab extending in a U-shape, which, on opening of the container, is pulled away from a peeling edge surrounding the accommodation space, proceeding in the direction of the container opening.

The separating element being in the form of a flexible doubled-over tab extending in a U-shape makes it possible for the separating element to be pulled away from the peeling edge surrounding the accommodation space, thereby freeing the accommodation space, using the same opening movement as that used to pull the closure element away from the container opening. Accordingly, a liquid, paste-like, powder-form or solid substance located in the accommodation space is directly released, in the course of opening the container, from the accommodation space and into the main volume of the container and, in the main volume of the container, can react with a further, preferably different, substance therein, for example carbonic acid.

Alternatively, the separating element can be in the form of a doubled-over tab extending in a U-shape in its individual end portions, that is to say a doubled-over tab extending in a double U-shape, the individual end portions of the separating element then extending on top of one another when the container is closed. In this case, the doubled-over tab is sealed or adhesively bonded on the same flat side thereof to the connecting portion surrounding the accommodation space and to the closure element, in which case the opposite flat side of the separating element advantageously does not need to be sealable.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the separating element is connected to the closure element by way of an arcuate fixing portion, which extends in the direction of the accommodation space in a convex curve. Such fixing of the separating element, preferably by sealing, adhesive bonding and/or a force-based connection, allows optimised opening behaviour both of the closure element away from the container opening and also of the separating element away from the peeling edge surrounding the accommodation space.

In accordance with the invention, the accommodation space is so formed that, on opening of the container, a substance located in the accommodation space, especially a solid, powder-form solid, paste and/or liquid, pours out into the main volume of the container. For that purpose, the accommodation space is formed in a lid or wall of the container, especially in the form of a pot-shaped or pan-shaped recess in the lid or container wall, so that the substance located in the accommodation space can, on opening of the container, or that is to say on opening the accommodation space in association therewith, pour out into the main volume of the container unhindered and initiate therein an advantageously immediate reaction such as, for example, the formation of carbonic acid.

Advantageously, the lid of the container according to the invention is of substantially dish-shaped construction and connected to the walls of the container by means of fin sealing or tap sealing. Alternatively, however, the container can also be closed at the top by means of a fin seal seam. In the latter case, the container opening is located in an upper region of the wall of the container.

In accordance with the invention provision is furthermore made for the container, especially its base and/or lid and/or container body and/or closure element and/or separating element, to be made from a foil, especially a laminate, preferably aluminium laminate, optionally with a barrier layer. The barrier layer preferably includes SiO₂, ethyl vinyl alcohol, polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylonitrile and also at least one metal foil, preferably aluminium foil, and/or at least one metallised film.

The substance separately packaged in the accommodation space should especially be reliably protected from moisture and/or oxygen by a “surrounding barrier”. Depending on the nature and sensitivity of the contents, the barrier action of the upper laminate and lower laminate can differ.

As a result of using the above-mentioned foil, especially the laminate, it is possible, in simple and economical manner, to use a single material for manufacturing the container according to the invention, which material is economical to manufacture, is simple to transport and, after use, can be folded up small and, accordingly, disposed of in simple manner.

The cut edges of the foil, especially of the laminate, are, in accordance with the invention, closed by melting over the cut edge using a sealable and/or meltable foil or laminate material. By this means it is ensured that the contents of the container according to the invention do not come into contact with substances from inner layers of the laminate or foil, especially not with aluminium. The same also applies to the inner layers of the laminate, which are protected from the atmosphere by covering over, for example melting over, the cut edges. At this point it should be mentioned that covering over with another coating material, for example a surface-coating or a melting protective layer, or sealing strip is also feasible.

Provision is furthermore made in accordance with the invention for the lid (80) and/or the container body and/or the base of the container (10) to be made from a rigid material, especially having a thickness of at least 0.3 mm, in which case in an optionally used aluminium laminate at least one aluminium foil having a layer thickness greater than 4 μm, especially in the range from 7 μm to 100 μm, is provided.

Furthermore, the lid (80) and/or the base and/or at least part of the container body and also, especially, the accommodation space (60) of the container (10) is/are produced by the deep-drawing, pressing and/or stamping—preferably at room temperature—of that foil, especially that laminate, which forms the container element in question.

Further embodiments of the invention arise out of the subordinate claims.

The invention is described hereinbelow by means of an example of an embodiment which is explained in greater detail with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a section, in diagrammatic form, through an upper region of a container according to the invention in the closed state;

FIG. 2 is a section, in diagrammatic form, through an upper region of a container according to the invention during an opening procedure;

FIG. 3 is a view according to FIG. 2 in the further opened state;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section, in diagrammatic form, through an upper region of a container according to the invention in the fully opened state together with the closure and separating element; and

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section, in diagrammatic form, through a container according to the invention.

In the description that follows, the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same and that have the same effect.

FIG. 1 is a cross-section, in diagrammatic form, through an upper region of a container 10 according to the invention. The container 10 includes, as the basis for its upper closure, a lid 80, which is of pan-shaped construction and the upstanding peripheral edges of which are inserted between the walls 90 of the container 10 and connected thereto by means of fin sealing. The lid 80 has a container opening 20, which is covered by a closure element 30, which is peelably connected to the lid 80, that is to say is adhesively bonded or sealed thereto, around the container opening 20. Sealed to the closure element 30 in area-wise and non-peelable manner, by means of a limb of an end portion of U-shaped construction, is a separating element 40, the end of that sealed-on limb extending in the direction of an accommodation space 60. This path of the separating element 40, 45 ensures that, when the lid 80 is pulled away in order to open the container 10, the separating element 40, 45 remains securely on the lid 80. The closure element 30 extends through the container opening 20 to an accommodation space 60 and closes the latter by means of a peelable seal. The separating element 40 is in the form of a flexible doubled-over strip 45 extending in each of its end portions in a U-shape, that is to say in a double U-shape overall, by means of which it is possible for the accommodation space 60, on pulling on the closure element 30, to be pulled away from the peeling edge 65 (shown in greater detail in FIG. 5) surrounding the accommodation space 60, proceeding in the direction of the stamped-out container opening 20, and, by that means, to free the accommodation space 60. The formation of the separating element 40, 45 extending in a double U-shape advantageously ensures on the one hand that the separating element 40, 45 cannot come away from the closure element 30, because on opening the container no peeling loading comes about, but rather only tensile loading, with shear on the separating element 40, 45 and, on the other hand, this arrangement ensures that the separating element 40, 45 can still reliably come away from the inside of the lid by virtue of a peeling effect.

In the closed state of the container 10 according to the invention, the closure element 30 is fixed over the container opening 20 by means of a peelable seal, with one end of the closure element 30 being fixed to the lid and the other end of the closure element 30 being in the form of a gripping tab, which in order to prevent unintended operation of the gripping tab can be fixed to the container 10 or lid 80 by simple means, for example by means of point-wise sealing. As can be seen from FIG. 1, there is located in the accommodation space 60 a substance 70 which, on opening the accommodation space 60 by pulling away, or peeling away, the separating element 40, drops into the main volume 50 of the container 10.

FIG. 2 shows, in diagrammatic form, in a view in accordance with FIG. 1, a container according to the invention in the course of an opening procedure, wherein the closure element 30 is lifted up, together with the separating element 40 fixed thereto, and pulled away from part of the peelable peripheral edge of the container opening 20. As can be seen from FIG. 2, actuation of the closure element 30 likewise causes actuation of the separating element 40, thereby initiating pulling-away of the doubled-over tab 45, which extends in a U-shape, from the peeling edge 65 surrounding the accommodation space 60.

FIG. 3 shows an opening procedure that has advanced further, wherein the closure element 30 has been completely pulled away from the peeling edge surrounding the container opening 20 and is accordingly free. It can furthermore be seen from FIG. 3 that, in the course of completely pulling away the closure element 30, the separating element 40 has also been pulled away from the peeling edge 65 surrounding the accommodation space 60, so that the substance 70 can drop into the main volume 50 of the container 10.

FIG. 4 shows, in diagrammatic form, in a view according to the preceding Figures, a fully opened container according to the invention, wherein both the closure element 30 and also the separating element 40 connected to the closure element 30 have come away from the container 10. The container opening 20 provided in the lid 80 is completely freed and allows removal of contents located within the container. It is further indicated in FIG. 4 that the substance 70 reacts with a further substance located in the main volume 50 of the container 10, which further substance is indicated and upwardly limited by wave lines, whereupon a gas is developed which can escape through the container opening 20 without its being possible for excess pressure to build up in the container 10 which would result in bulging-out of a container according to the prior art.

FIG. 5 is a section through a container of can-like construction according to the invention, in accordance with FIGS. 1 to 4, in which, in order to make clear the construction of the container according to the invention, several sections have been superimposed on one another so that in this FIG. 5 it is possible to see important features of the container according to the invention. Accordingly, a lid 80 is arranged inside the walls 90 of the container according to the invention. The lid 80 has a container opening 20, which is covered over by a closure element 30. A separating element 40, which is in the form of a doubled-over tab 45, is, in an arcuate fixing portion 42 which extends in the direction of the accommodation space 60 in a convex curve, connected to the closure element 30. This arcuate fixing portion 42 is located relative close to the accommodation space 60, the peeling edge 65 of which, located on the inside of the container, is indicated. In the accommodation space 60 there is located a substance 70 in tablet form, which on opening the accommodation space 60 by removing the separating element 40 drops into the main volume 50 of the container 10.

At this point it should be mentioned that all parts described hereinbefore, seen on their own and in any combination, especially the details shown in the drawings, are claimed as being important to the invention. Modifications thereto will be commonplace to the skilled person.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10 container -   20 container opening -   30 closure element -   40 separating element -   42 arcuate fixing portion -   45 doubled-over tab -   50 main volume -   60 accommodation space -   65 peeling edge -   70 substance -   80 lid -   90 wall 

1. A container having a container opening which is closable by a removable closure element, wherein there is arranged on the closure element a separating element which, in the closed state of the container, extends through the container opening and over an accommodation space with sealing of the latter, which accommodation space is separated off from the main volume of the container.
 2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the separating element is so connected to the closure element that, on opening the container by removing the closure element, the separating element remains, with freeing of the accommodation space, on the closure element.
 3. A container according to claim 1, wherein the separating element is in the form of a peelable tab extending in a generally U-shape, which, on opening the container, is pulled away from a peeling edge surrounding the accommodation space, proceeding in the direction of the container opening.
 4. A container according to claim 1, wherein the separating element is connected to the closure element by means of an arcuate fixing portion, which extends in the direction of the accommodation space in a convex curve.
 5. A container according to claim 1, wherein the accommodation space is so formed that, on opening of the container, a substance when located in the accommodation space, can be poured out into the main volume of the container.
 6. A container according to claim 1, wherein the accommodation space is formed in a lid or wall of the container.
 7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the lid is of substantially dish-shaped construction and is connected to the walls of the container by means of fin sealing or lap sealing.
 8. A container according to claim 6, wherein the container is made from a foil optionally with a barrier layer against the passage of liquid(s), moisture, gas(es) or light
 9. A container according to claim 8, having cut edges of the foil closed by melting over the cut edge using a sealable and/or meltable foil or laminate material.
 10. A container according to claim 6, wherein the lid and/or the container body and/or the base of the container is/are made from a rigid material.
 11. A container according to claim 8, wherein the lid and/or the base and/or at least part of the container body is produced by the deep-drawing, pressing and/or stamping of that foil which forms the container.
 12. A container according to claim 8, wherein the container and/or container body and/or closure element and/or separating element are made from an aluminum laminate comprising at least one aluminum foil having a layer thickness greater than 4 μm.
 13. A container according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises a tubular pouch, stand up pouch or can-like container.
 14. A container according to claim 1, wherein the closure element comprises a peelable, removable closure element.
 15. A container according to claim 2, wherein the separating element is adhesively bonded or sealed to the closure element.
 16. A container according to claim 2, wherein the separating element is integrally formed with the closure element.
 17. A container according to claim 3, wherein the separating element is in the form of a flexible tab peelable on one side.
 18. A container according to claim 3, wherein the tab extends in a generally U-shape in an individual end portion thereof.
 19. A container according to claim 6, wherein the accommodation space is formed in the form of a pot-shaped or pan shaped recess.
 20. A container according to claim 8, wherein the base and/or lid, and/or container body and/or closure element, and/or separating element is or are made from a foil.
 21. A container according to claim 20, wherein said foil comprises a laminate.
 22. A container according to claim 10, wherein said material has a thickness of at least 0.3 mm.
 23. A container according to claim 6, wherein the accommodation space of the container is produced by the deep drawing, pressing and/or stamping of said foil.
 24. A container according to claim 12, wherein said aluminum foil has a layer thickness of from 7 μm to 100 μm. 